Page 47 of Family: Posy 4

We sprinted over to him, and Wayne helped him sit up as Spring sniffed all over him for further injuries than what we could see. One of Thoreau's thumbs went right in his mouth as big, fat tears rolled down his cheeks. He cried silently, not even whimpering, and I pressed my lips together tightly as I crouched next to him.

His 'mommy daddy' taught him to keep his pain quiet.Just like my stepfather did with me.

A memory flashed through my mind of Alpha Briggs snarling, "Shut up and stop sniveling!" as I laid in a pile of broken bones at his feet and bled on the floor.

I began to shake, and Ash's arms suddenly came around me, swaddling me in his sweet scent. My other mates prodded the mate link, sensing my upset through our bonds, and I quickly assured them I was alright, just disturbed for a moment by a bad memory.

I've got you, Ash whispered in the link.Whatever you've remembered, it can't hurt you anymore.

"Can you heal him, luna?" Wayne asked as he held Thoreau and petted his curls.

I blinked and came back to myself, feeling selfish for giving in to dark thoughts when Thoreau was in pain.

"I haven't tried to heal anyone before. I would love to, but I don't know what I'm doing."

"You healed Landry by laying your hands on him," Ash said. "Try that again. I'm pretty sure that will do the trick."

Nodding, I laid a trembling hand on Thoreau's arm. I felt gentle warmth gather around my fingertips where I pressed them to his skin, and his scrapes began to close.

"Good job, baby," Ash whispered in my ear.

Wayne whispered soothing things to his friend until I was done, then Spring licked away the blood. Leaning back into Ash's arms, I gave Thoreau a small smile.

"There. All better."

Archer stood over us with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, although I couldn't tell if it was from anger or upset.

"How many times have we told you not to run?" he snapped, which only caused tears to fall from Thoreau's eyes again. "If you listened, you wouldn't get hurt so often!"

"Dude," Wayne grumbled. "Chill!"

He got to his feet, then leaned down, picked Thoreau up, and held him like a baby. Still sucking his thumb, Thoreau wrapped his free arm and both legs around Wayne and clung to him.

"Shh, you're okay, Reau. It's just a couple of scrapes," Wayne whispered. "I know it hurt, but luna healed it all up. You're fine now."

Thoreau dug his face more into Wayne's neck and drew in a shuddery breath.

"Chi-Chi mad at me," he said around his thumb.

"Chi-Chi?" Ash murmured. "Does he meanyou, Arch?"

"Yeah. He's made up these little nicknames for us." Archer scrubbed the back of his neck with one hand and pink scored across his cheekbones. "I said no to Archie, so that's what he came up with instead."

"And what's your nickname for him?" Ash smirked, and I knew he wasn't going to leave the boy alone about this.

"Don't worry about it," Archer growled, his face looking very much like Cole's when he was gettingangryangry.

Leave it, Ash, I told him.

Aw, baby, you take all my fun away!

"You should let him know you're not mad at him," I told Archer with a small smile and nodded toward where Wayne was walking around with Thoreau.

"But I am." Archer's brows came down. "He should listen. He's such a—"

"Don't say something in a temper that you'll regret and have to make up for later," I interrupted him.

Oh, he is so much like Cole!

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